May 14-17, 2020
EVENTS
LEGENDS: COLLECTOR’S DINNER
Presented by TricorBraun WinePak
Durell Vineyards
Saturday, May 18, 2019
6:30 PM
The capstone event of the weekend, the Legends Dinner showcases ten renowned vineyard sites, with collector’s item wines made from their vines. While the true hosts are the vineyard sites themselves, legendary author and wine critic Antonio Galloni will share the stories of these historic vines. Vineyard owners and winemakers will bring wines from their personal collections to share at the table – wines that have aged extraordinarily well and speak to the history, passion and innovation that defines Sonoma Valley. Each carefully crafted dinner course will complement the evening’s incomparable wines. Most wine collectors only dream of attending an evening like this. It’s the Legends Dinner, and you are there.
FEATURING WINES FROM: Price Family Vineyards & Estates, Bedrock Wine Co., Camino Cellars, Carlisle Winery & Vineyards, Carmenet, Chateau St. Jean, Durell Vineyard, Gundlach Bundschu, Hanzell Vineyards, Kamen Estate Wines, Kenwood Vineyards, Kistler Vineyards , Laurel Glen Vineyard , Louis M. Martini, Monte Rosso Vineyard, Montecillo Vineyard, Ordaz Family Wines, Pagani Ranch, Ravenswood Winery, Repris, Ridge Vineyards, Rossi Ranch, Sangiacomo Family Wines, Saxon Brown, Three Sticks Wines, Winery Sixteen 600
$350
FEATURED VINEYARDS
Bedrock Vineyard
Durell Vineyards
Hanzell Vineyards
Kamen Estate
Laurel Glen Vineyard
Monte Rosso Vineyard
Montecillo Vineyard
Moon Mountain Vineyard (Repris)
Pagani Ranch
Rhinefarm Estate
Rossi Ranch
Sangiacomo – Green Acres Vineyard
Featured Growers & Vintners
Antonio Galloni
Wine Critic, Founder and CEO of Vinous
Antonio Galloni’s career as one of the most trusted and respected wine critics in the world spans over a decade. In 2004, while a graduate student at MIT, Antonio founded Piedmont Report, the first in-depth, English language journal solely focused on Italian wine. Antonio’s success led him to Robert Parker and The Wine Advocate where he became the lead critic and covered the wines of California, Italy, Burgundy and Champagne. At TWA Antonio spearheaded the production of video content, developed numerous public events and seminars such as his highly anticipated “La Festa del Barolo,” and ran numerous charitable events. Vinous is the continuation of a vision for a contemporary wine media platform first conceived by Antonio with Piedmont Report in 2004.
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Bill Price
Principal
PRICE FAMILY VINEYARDS – THREE STICKS WINES
“Three Sticks” refers to the three Roman numerals that follow Founder and Principal Bill Price’s written name. He was known as “Billy Three Sticks” growing up surfing in Hawaii, where the young Price attended high school. As he describes his path from seawater to wine in a calm, steady voice, it’s hard to guess that this is the same man who spent much of the last 30 years in corporate board rooms. Rather, it seems only natural that Price would trade in a thriving business career for a life among the vines, and that the father of three would wax poetic on the importance of leaving the world a better place for generations to come—whether through sustainable vineyard and winery practices, or through his nonprofit work.
Born in Los Angeles, Price was introduced to wine at an early age by his father, who was born in France, and would give him thimble-sized tastes of wine mixed into a glass of water. Price remembers playing ball against the wall of the Louis M. Martini Winery in St. Helena, bored and impatient, while his father, who often brought his son along on sojourns to Napa and Sonoma wine country, tasted wine inside the winery.
Price attended high school in Hawaii before returning to California to study at Stanford University. He earned his law degree from the University of California Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law, and following 10 years practicing law and also consulting at Bain & Company, he was hired to work for Jack Welch at GE Capital.
In 1992, Price co-founded Texas Pacific Group (TPG), a private equity firm, with two partners. TPG invested in companies as large and diverse as J. Crew, Burger King, Continental Airlines, and Petco. In 1995, TPG purchased Beringer. “That’s when I was really introduced to the wine business,” says Price.
The company continued to invest in wineries, including Chateau St. Jean., which sourced grapes for some of its wines from the Durell Vineyard in Sonoma. It was then that Price began to take a more active interest not just in the business of wine, but in vineyards as well. He purchased the Durell Vineyard in 1998, and launched Three Sticks Wines in 2002. In 2007, he sold his share of TPG back to his partners, and entered the wine business full-stop. He was soon approached by Steve Kistler to partner with him in his vineyards, and Price’s role as a farmer began to grow.
“I realized I’d made all the money I needed to make in my career, and I longed to return to something that brought me back in touch with the natural world on a more regular basis,” says Price.
Price is the proprietor of Classic Wines, LLC and Price Family Vineyards, LLC—including ownership and management of Sonoma Coast vineyards including Durell, 111 Wilson Vineyard, DuPont Vineyard, One Sky Vineyard and Gap’s Crown Vineyard. Classic Wines also has ownership interests in Kistler Vineyards, Buccella, Three Sticks, Lutum and Head High. Price is chairman of Gary Farrell Winery.
Price’s business strategy is to work with winemakers who have their own individual style of winemaking and who maintain that vision with each vintage and with each piece of land. He believes that this commitment to a specific style lets one perfect their identity as a winemaker while also allowing them to stand out in the marketplace.
Price sees his family vineyards and winery investments as something he can share with his children someday. Already, his two eldest children, both now following his footsteps at Stanford, have wines named for them: “The James” from Three Sticks, and a “Natalie” Cuvee from Kistler. Soon, Price says, he’ll introduce a wine in honor of his youngest daughter, Alana.
Price is also an active philanthropist, and holds positions as Chairman of the Gladstone Foundation, which serves as the fundraising arm of the Gladstone Institutes, a leading organization in the research and development of solutions to widespread disease; and as Chair of Common Sense Media, which rates, advocates and educates families and schools on media and technology for kids.
Price resides in Marin County with his family, and strives to get in at least 30 days of surfing per year.
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Dino Pagani Amantite
Vineyard Management
PAGANI RANCH
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Dino Pagani Amantite
Richard & Alis Arrowood
Proprietors
Amapola Creek Winery by Richard Arrowood
Richard Arrowood is an iconic winemaster who has been making wine exclusively in Sonoma County for more than for 45 years. From 1974 through 1990, he created the wines for Chateau St. Jean, where he developed some of the first vineyard-designate Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon produced in Sonoma County.
He and his wife, Alis, founded Arrowood Winery with the 1985 vintage. Each year, they made extraordinary small-lot varietals and vineyard designates. Richard was the winemaster at Arrowood Winery until June 2010, when he resigned his position to devote himself full-time to making wines for his estate winery, Amapola Creek Vineyards and Winery.
Richard Lee Arrowood was born in San Francisco and raised in Santa Rosa, California, in the heart of Sonoma County. He began his winemaking career in 1965, working at Korbel Champagne Cellars while attending college. He earned a B.A. in organic chemistry at California State University, Sacramento, and completed graduate work in enology at California State University, Fresno.
From Korbel, he moved first to United Vintners and then to Sonoma Vineyards, where he worked for Rodney Strong and further developed his appreciation for the potential of single vineyard sites. In 1974 the founders of Chateau St. Jean chose Richard as their first employee and winemaster.
Within a few years, Richard had gained critical acclaim and a worldwide reputation for his wines. He produced vineyard-designate Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Chardonnay, Fumé Blanc, Johannisberg Riesling, and Gewürztraminer bottlings in unprecedented numbers: from the 1980 vintage, the winery marketed nine single-vineyard Chardonnays from within Sonoma County.
By producing numerous small-lot, single-vineyard wines, Richard successfully demonstrated the significance of site—of terroir. Using virtually identical winemaking techniques for a given varietal, he showed that the differences in the resulting wines came from the vineyard, not the cellar. It was a revolutionary accomplishment. Richard received perhaps his greatest accolades for botrytis-affected late harvest wines, which rivaled even the great Trockenbeerenauslesen in richness and intensity.
In 1981 Richard met Alis Demers at the first California Wine Experience in San Francisco. They started dating and were married in 1985. In the same year, they created another partnership and began the plans for building Arrowood Vineyards & Winery.
Richard remained at Chateau St. Jean as executive vice president/winemaster until joining Alis at Arrowood full-time in 1990. Together they created a highly acclaimed prestige brand, which Robert Mondavi Corp. purchased in 2000. Richard and Alis stayed on, but after Constellation Brands purchased Mondavi in 2004 and subsequently sold Arrowood in 2005 to the (now bankrupt) Legacy Estate Group, Richard and Alis began Amapola Creek Winery.
Jackson Family Wines acquired Arrowood Vineyards & Winery through the bankruptcy court in September 2006. Richard continued as winemaster there until June 2010, when he left to devote his energies full-time to Amapola Creek Vineyards and Winery.
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Richard & Alis Arrowood
Jeff Baker
Winemaker
STONE EDGE FARM ESTATE VINEYARDS & WINERY
Raised on his family’s citrus ranch in Ventura County, Jeff graduated from Stanford University and earned his master’s degree in enology from the University of California at Davis. He served as winemaker during the 1970s at the iconic Mayacamas Vineyards, in the mountains that separate Napa and Sonoma.
Jeff joined a group of partners, which included Mac McQuown, in 1980 to create Carmenet Vineyards (now Repris Wines) on the southwest side of the Mayacamas range. In the late 1990s, both Mac and Jeff planted small Cabernet Sauvignon home vineyards. In 2004 they co-founded Stone Edge Farm Estate Vineyards & Winery.
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Jeff Baker
Tadeo Brochardt
Winemaker
CAMINO CELLARS
My winemaking journey, CAMINO, brought me to a junction where after fifteen years making wine for others, I am able to make and bottle my own wine and share it with family, old friends and many new ones.
My path down this road, CAMINO, brought me from a 6th grade classroom in the Arizona desert to Sonoma County to pursue my love of wine in 2002. Making wine in New Zealand along with extensive travel through winemaking cellars and vineyards throughout France and Italy has enriched my winemaking palette and provided a strong foundation on which to continue my lifelong love and pursuit of wine. Since 2004 I’ve been making wine for the Neyers family in the Napa Valley and now CAMINO. I live in the town of Sonoma with my wife Sarah, and our Maya and Evan.
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Tadeo Brochardt
Erich Bradley
Winemaker
PANGLOSS CELLARS-SOJOURN CELLARS
Erich Bradley is a self-taught winemaker and vintner based in Sonoma, California. He spent three Harvests (2000-2002) working in the lab and cellar at Arrowood Vineyards & Winery for California wine icon, Richard Arrowood, before leaving in 2003 to become the winemaker for Audelssa Estate Winery in Glen Ellen where he received critical acclaim for producing an eclectic lineup of small-lot, Bordeaux and Rhône-inspired wines sourced from an extreme, hillside vineyard located on the southwestern-facing slope of Mount Veeder in the Moon Mountain District AVA.
In 2011, Bradley left Audelssa to join private equity investor, Jim Momtazee, in founding Repris Wines after Momtazee acquired the historic Moon Mountain Vineyard, the original home of Chalone’s Carmenet Winery, from Diageo after the 2010 Harvest. Bradley currently oversees production of Repris in addition to Repris’ two sister labels, Pangloss Cellars and Texture Wines.
Bradley has also received critical acclaim as the winemaker and co-founder of Sojourn Cellars in Sonoma, a project he launched in 2004 with business partner, Craig Haserot. Sojourn focuses primarily on artisanal Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Petaluma Gap, Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast AVA’s in addition to Cabernet Sauvignon from Oakville, Rutherford and Sonoma Valley.
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Erich Bradley
Katie Bundschu
Proprietor
ABBOT’S PASSAGE
Sixth generation vintner, Katie Bundschu (and her canine side-kick Bacchus), has always chartered her own path in life. After college, she pursued a decade-long career in higher education before returning to the family business in 2012. Given her adventurous spirit and driving quest for discovery, Katie was keen to start a new project that branched out from the family vineyard and showcased her family’s longstanding knowledge of Sonoma Valley. Such was born Abbot’s Passage in 2016, with the vision to highlight notable but often-overlooked vineyards across Sonoma, and potentially beyond.
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Katie Bundschu
Jim Bundschu
Vicar of Vineburg
GUNDLACH BUNDSCHU
Jim Bundschu is the quintessential down-to-earth farmer, completely devoted to the Sonoma County vineyard land cultivated by four generations before him. Growing up on Gundlach Bundschu Winery’s Rhinefarm, he was so mesmerized by his walk through the vineyards on his way to school that he never doubted he would carry on his family’s tradition. Today he still works closely with his son, Jeff Bundschu, who serves as president.
After graduating from the University of California at Berkeley with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture economics, Bundschu returned to the winery to undertake the most important project it had seen in decades.
Since 1933 the winery had been closed due to Prohibition, and the grapes grown at Rhinefarm were sold to other wineries. In 1969, Jim Bundschu began the four-year project of fully replanting the vineyard to premium varietal wine grapes. In 1970, Jim was named president of the resurrected Gundlach Bundschu Winery, and in 1973 the family celebrated the first crush of the new winery.
“My highest aim is to be a good farmer,” says Jim, “one who understands the subtle nuances involved in producing grapes for exceptional wines vintage after vintage, no matter what conditions Mother Nature might produce.”
Bundschu also maintains his connection with earlier generations by living in a stone house constructed in 1906 that overlooks the vineyards. When he’s not farming grapes he prefers to stay outdoors—fishing, skiing, backpacking, flying or playing baseball. If the weather keeps him inside, he finds equal pleasure in reading and playing his saxophone.
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Jim Bundschu
PHIL COTURRI
Viticulturist / Proprietor
ENTERPRISE VINEYARDS / KAMEN ESTATE VINEYARD / WINERY SIXTEEN 600
Phil Coturri, a pioneer of organic viticulture, has been overseeing the Kamen Estate vineyards since Robert Kamen purchased the property in l980. Phil is a highly regarded Viticulturist with over thirty-five years experience with top quality northern California vineyards.
If you ask him, Phil Coturri might quote a Levon Helm song and describe himself as a “poor old dirt farmer”. However, after 35 years pioneering organic and biodynamic winegrowing in California descriptions range from “famed organic viticulturalist” by the Hollywood Reporter to “the ubiquitous wizard of sustainable winemaking” by Sonoma Magazine. He was born with the cultural palate of Italian immigrants, weaned on the music and ethos of San Francisco in the 1960’s and planted deep into the rocky hillsides of Sonoma Valley.
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Phil Coturri
David Gates
Senior Vice President of Vineyard Operations
RIDGE VINEYARDS
David Gates, Jr. is Senior Vice President of Vineyard Operations for Ridge Vineyards. David grew up on a hundred-and-sixty acre farm in central Minnesota, and decided to escape the cold winters by coming to California for school. His love of plants and agriculture led him to UC Davis, where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Viticulture, and met and married his wife, Donna.
After an obligatory stint in Napa Valley he made his way to Ridge in 1989. David’s duties include managing the historic Monte Bello vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the Whitton Ranch at Geyserville, and the Lytton Estate vineyards at Healdsburg, as well as monitoring and helping all Ridge growers in Sonoma, Napa, Santa Clara, and San Luis Obispo Counties.
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David Gates
Rob Harris
Director of Vineyard Operations
PRICE FAMILY VINEYARDS & ESTATES – THREE STICKS WINES
Rob utilizes more than a dozen years of experience in multiple wine growing areas of California as he not only directs day-to-day vineyard activities, but also strategizes and long-term plans for Price Family Vineyards.
“It’s awesome to work in a place where I can truly focus on quality. The history and success of Durell is something I wish to cultivate and establish for all our vineyard locations. I consider myself a lucky guy to be entrusted with caring for these vineyards and to be surrounded and supported by those around me who share the desire and passion.”
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Mark Herold
Winemaker
Kamen Estate Wines
Mark Herold has a degree in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Irvine and a Doctorate in Ecology from the University of California, Davis and is highly regarded for his relentless and uncompromising pursuit of excellence in winemaking. As a winegrower, his conservationist approach is one in which the vineyard is the single most important factor influencing wine quality. His goal at Kamen Estate is to fully express the character of the vineyard while producing intense, complex and balanced terroir-driven wines.
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Mark Herold
Jason Jardine
President
HANZELL VINEYARDS
Taking over as President and Director of Winemaking of Hanzell Vineyards in spring of 2014, Jason brings extensive wine business experience that starts literally from the ground up. After planting his first vineyard at the age of 18, Jason has acted as Vineyard Manager, Director of Winemaking and President for some of the finest wineries in the country including Flowers Vineyard and Winery, Rhys Vineyards, Clos Du Val, and Domaine Serene amongst others. With tremendous passion, Jason leads the Hanzell team through the implementation of Integrated Biodynamic Farming practices, allowing the vineyards to thrive and best express themselves in our wines. When not working here on the farm, you can find Jason in the family vegetable garden and spending time with his wife Ali and their two children, Gabriel and Pippin. Jason holds an MBA from Southern Methodist University Cox School of Business.
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Jason Jardine
Robert Kamen
PROPRIETOR
KAMEN ESTATE WINES
Growing up in a city housing project in the Bronx and earning a Ph.D in American Studies from the University of Pennsylvania, Robert believes everything happens for a reason, and yet nothing in his life was ever planned. His screenwriting career started quickly with the unexpected sale of his first screenplay. While visiting friends in Sonoma to celebrate this success, he happened upon the 280 acre property. After falling in love with the view, he purchased what is now his vineyard estate and the muse for his bottled screenplay – Kamen Estate Wines.
Robert has enjoyed an uninterrupted film career with over twenty of his screenplays becoming major motion pictures, among them: Taps, The Karate Kid series, Fifth Element, The Professional, Transporter series, A Walk in the Clouds, Lethal Weapon III, Taken and Taken II. When he is not occupying seat 6A of American Airlines travelling for his films or the wines he produces, visitors often find him at his desk in Sonoma working on future film scripts or worrying about the weather.
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Robert Kamen
Jason Kesner
Winemaker
KISTLER VINEYARDS
I have approached winemaking from a very strong foundation in the vineyard. I grew up in the vineyards here in California, learning to prune, drive tractors and turn on wind machines to ward of frost, at an early age. I think more winemakers should own a well worn pair of pruning shears. Winemaking is at its core, an extension of farming. In 2008 I left Hudson Vineyards and the Napa Valley, and moved to northern Sonoma county to join Kistler Vineyards as assistant winemaker where my time is split between the vineyards and the winery. In the summer of 2014 I was named winemaker there.
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Jason Kesner
James MacPhail
Winemaker
SANGIACOMO FAMILY WINES
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James MacPhail
MorganTwain-Peterson MW
Owner/Winemaker
BEDROCK WINE CO.
Morgan was the first baby born in the town of Sonoma in 1981. His parents, Joel Peterson and Kate Twain, were both employees at the local hospital but opted for a home birth at their small bungalow on Andrieux Street. After Mom did some serious work, Dad made a clean catch, tied up the umbilical cord and Morgan’s life was off to the races.
Back in those days, Joel’s main job was running the bacteriology lab at Sonoma Valley Hospital. However, as a second job he also worked at a small passion project called Ravenswood Winery, a job for which he was steadily not making money while working out of a small building along the big curve on Broadway Street. Morgan fondly remembers spending much of his time after school and on weekends exploring the winery and surrounding vineyards and creeks. Both Kate and Joel were (and still are!) intrepid and engaged individuals and huge importance was placed in the household on reading, learning for the joy of it, cooking and baking, gardening, hiking and skiing. It was a common family dinner where Joel would want to talk about a new piece he was reading in Scientific American and audible groans would come from Morgan and older sister Caitilin.
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Morgan Twain-Peterson
Ryan Prichard
Winemaker
THREE STICKS WINES
Growing up in Northern California, it isn’t too hard to understand why Ryan fell in love with wine. But it was while he was 3,000 miles away while in college at Cornell University that his passion took off. While in his senior year, Ryan took a class, HADM 430 – Introduction to Wines, where every week he would learn about and taste wines from different regions from around the world. Needless to say this was an eye-opening experience. After graduating from Cornell, Ryan spent some years working at the management consulting firm, Accenture, and then at the luxury destination club, Exclusive Resorts. During this time, Ryan was able to build his appreciation for wine and travel to many of the best wine regions of the world.
But Ryan’s interest was not satisfied by just tasting great wines. He wanted to make them. While still working full time, he worked with family friends in Anderson Valley during crush and then after moving to Boulder, CO, he worked harvests at Boulder Creek Winery. Also while in Colorado, Ryan enrolled in and completed the UC Davis Certificate Program in Winemaking. It was during this course when Ryan decided for good that he would pursue winemaking as a career. Ryan and his wife moved back to California and Ryan joined on to work with Bob Cabral at Williams Selyem making world-class Pinot noir and Chardonnay. At Williams Selyem, Ryan was able to see how working with great vineyards along with a meticulous winemaking style can produce inspiring results. Next, Ryan worked at Copain Custom Crush (now called Punchdown Cellars) where he had the opportunity to work directly with dozens of winemakers of high-end boutique brands. Most recently, Ryan was the Assistant Winemaker at Medlock Ames winery where he worked to craft artisanal and sustainably-farmed wines in Healdsburg, CA.
As Associate Winemaker of Three Sticks Wines, Ryan is excited about crafting wines with character and finesse that showcase our unique vineyard sites.
“With iconic vineyards such as Durell and Gaps Crown, we are given the best ingredients to make truly spectacular wines. This and getting to work with such a talented and passionate team of people makes making wine at Three Sticks an incredible opportunity”
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Ryan Prichard
Brenae Royal
Ranch Manager
MONTE ROSSO VINEYARD
Brenae Royal grew up in the town of Atwater, in California’s Central Valley. “I come from a family of teachers and doctors, so when I started raising pigs, my family thought, where did she fall off?” Brenae says, laughing. When asked about her first farming memories, she recalls picking weeds and planting flowers with her grandmother. “My grandmother has a ginormous garden.” As the Vineyard Manager for the 575-acre Monte Rosso Vineyard on the eastern hills of Sonoma Valley, one the most acclaimed winegrowing sites in California, Brenae might have her grandmother beat.
Brenae put her passion to action at a young age, joining 4-H at 12 and becoming an officer in the Future Farmers of America when she was 17. The program took her all over California and immersed her in a world she knew she wanted to be a part of for the rest of her life. Brenae studied Crops and Horticulture Science at California State University, Chico and during her senior year, after developing a palate for bold red wines, decided to pursue a career in viticulture.
She joined E. & J. Gallo Winery in 2013 as an Operations and Viticulture Intern and quickly established a relationship with an important mentor, winemaker Deborah Juergenson. “Deb started out as one of the first few women winemakers in a very male-dominated field. It’s been amazing to have her as a mentor, both professionally and personally,” Brenae says. “Viticulture is still very male-dominated, so to drive more inclusion and diversity is very much an uphill battle.” It’s a battle that Brenae has done anything but back down from. Since joining Gallo, Brenae has farmed Monte Rosso Vineyard with increasing levels of responsibility. In addition to her internship, Brenae also served as Viticulture Technician for 11 months before being named Vineyard Manager in 2015.
Monte Rosso is home to some of the oldest producing grapevines in California and has garnered a near- mythic reputation among winemakers. “When I started, it was intimidating. Here I am as this 24-year-old coming into to manage Monte Rosso, a world-renowned vineyard and one of the oldest in the state. It’s difficult and complex. Our vines range from four months old to over 130 years old, so it’s a lot to take on, but I love it,” she says. “We’ve brought a lot of technology and innovation to the vineyard, so much so that we can be farming up to three different wines within the same block.”
Mount Peak Winery, like Brenae, is singularly focused on expressing Monte Rosso’s uniqueness. “When our winemaker Mark Williams visits, it’s not uncommon to hop in my truck and then hike into his favorite blocks. It’s a hands-on approach to winemaking, and he’s very honored to work with the fruit.” When asked how Monte Rosso’s distinct terroir shows up in the bottle, Brenae quickly answers. “Acidity,” she declares, “and minerality and spice.” Part of the vineyard’s mystique is that its signature qualities seem impervious to producer and variety. “You can taste Monte Rosso wines blind and recognize them immediately,” she adds. Brenae is doing everything in her power to keep it that way. “My goal is always to preserve what is special about Monte Rosso,” she says. “Hopefully it will be producing for another 132 years.”
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Brenae Royal
Steve Sangiacomo
Partner
SANGIACOMO FAMILY VINEYARDS
Steve Sangiacomo is a third generation partner at Sangiacomo Family Vineyards, located in Sonoma, California where his family has farmed since 1927. He grew up on the ranch and began learning the ropes from his father and extended family at a young age. As far back as he can remember, he clamored to tag along with his father and uncles during early morning frost protection after which he enjoyed a special treat — doughnuts. He took to the fields early and recalls jumping off a tractor to race to seventh grade orientation. In his early 20s he began learning the family business from the ground up and in his 30s he and his brother Mike took over the reins.
Today Steve shares responsibility with his brother for managing the family’s 1600 acres of vineyards as well as grape sales to more than 70 premium wineries, many of whom vineyard-designate their wines with the Sangiacomo name. He flat out loves his job, particularly the wide variety of responsibilities spanning the agricultural, strategic, and operational aspects of the business.
He has lived his entire life in Sonoma Valley with the exception of his college years at St. Mary’s where he studied business and economics and an internship at the Xerox Corporation. He never wavered, however, in his desire to return to the ranch.
Steve is a board member and former chair of the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission where he has taken a lead role in its sustainability initiative. He is a former chair and board member of the Carneros Wine Alliance and also serves on the Development Committee of the Sonoma Valley Education Foundation. He was selected as a North Bay Business Journal “Forty under 40” award recipient in 2013.
A natural athlete, he calls upon his earlier experience as a high school basketball, football and baseball player as well as college football to serve as a volunteer coach. He was an Assistant Football coach at Sonoma Valley High School for fifteen years and today coaches Little League baseball and CYO basketball.
Steve lives in Sonoma with his wife, Connie, and their sons Drew and Sam. When not in the vineyards or spending time with his family, he enjoys playing golf and basketball.
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Steve Sangiacomo
Mike Sangiacomo
Grower
SANGIACOMO FAMILY VINEYARDS
Mike Sangiacomo is a third generation partner at Sangiacomo Family Vineyards, located in Sonoma, California where his family has farmed since 1927. He has lived and breathed agriculture from the day he was born. His grandfather taught him how to prune fruit trees from the ground up when he was eight years old and was too short to climb the ladder. Later he was thrilled when, at age 12, his uncle Buck let him drive the fork lift during harvest. Shortly thereafter he began assisting at the inspection station for pears as they were sorted for the canneries. When the family business transitioned from orchards to vineyards he began learning the intricacies of grapegrowing and has never looked back.
He has lived his entire life in Sonoma Valley with the exception of his college years at Santa Clara University where he studied business and marketing and a year working at Charles Schwab. In his heart he always knew that he would return to Sonoma Valley and the family business.
He shares responsibility with his brother Steve for managing the family’s 1600 acres of vineyards as well as grape sales to more than 70 premium wineries, many of whom vineyard-designate their wines with the Sangiacomo name. He particularly enjoys the daily agricultural challenges as well as the long-term strategic challenges of nurturing and sustaining a large family business. He takes great pleasure in growing a tangible product that is ultimately so enjoyable to share with friends and family.
Mike is a Commissioner of the Fiscal Oversight Commission of the Sonoma County Agricultural and Open Space District and a current board member of the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance, the North Bay Water District, the Sonoma Valley Groundwater Sustainability Agency, and the Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance.
He continues his lifelong passion for sports that began when he lettered in football, basketball and baseball in high school and then played football and rugby in college. After twenty years as an Assistant Football Coach at Sonoma Valley High School, he began coaching Little League baseball and CYO basketball. He loves coaching kids as he feels there are great life lessons to be learned through sports.
Mike lives in Sonoma with his wife, Whitney, and their children, Joe, Julia, and Robby. When not in the vineyards or spending time with his family, he enjoys hiking and playing golf.
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Mike Sangiacomo
Bettina Sichel
Managing Partner
LAUREL GLEN VINEYARD
In 2011, Bettina Sichel became the steward of Laurel Glen Vineyard after purchasing the iconic estate from founder Patrick Campbell in partnership with a small group of wine lovers. Once considered one of the great Cabernets of California, the next chapter of Bettina’s career is dedicated to rebuilding the quality and reputation of Laurel Glen Vineyard.
Bettina has over 20 years experience in sales and marketing in the wine business. She has launched, re-launched and built many brands. She helped launch Quintessa in 1998 and developed the Napa Cabernet’s reputation and profile distribution as Director of Sales & Marketing for 8 years. In 2007, Bettina became Marketing Director for the Napa Valley Vintners, a non-profit trade association representing over 350 Napa Valley wineries. She was responsible for both domestic and international marketing of the Napa Valley brand for 2 years.
The daughter of Peter M.F. Sichel, the man responsible for making his family’s Blue Nun wine a household name in America, Bettina is the fifth generation of the Sichel family to work in the wine business.
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Bettina Sichel
Mark Williams
Winemaker
William Hill Estate Winery
Growing up, Mark Williams spent his summers helping his father, a UC Davis viticulture professor, harvest table grapes for research. So, it came as no surprise when Mark decided to major in food science and enology at California State University, Fresno.
Years of accompanying his father, while pruning, harvesting and conducting research throughout Paso Robles, Napa Valley and other premier winegrowing regions, made enology a natural progression for Mark. Today, at William Hill Estate in the heart of southern Napa, he crafts wines that offer a distinct taste of luxury.
“Each vintage, I strive to express the best of California’s most renowned regions—from the North Coast to the Central Coast— in a refined way,” Mark said.
Mark joined E. & J. Gallo Winery in 2001 as an enologist and has gained varied experience over the past decade. His winemaking career has led him around the world from the Eden Valley in Australia to the Edna Valley on California’s Central Coast. Prior to his role as head winemaker at William Hill Estate, Mark crafted wines for Bridlewood Estate Winery in Santa Barbara and the acclaimed small-lot winery at Louis M. Martini in St. Helena.
“My varied experience has taught me quite a bit about different grapes from different regions, and I’m excited to continue this element of discovery at William Hill Estate,” Mark said. “As I look to unique vineyards, from our own benchland estate in southern Napa to the North Coast and the Central Coast, my goal is to bring to life our signature style of full-bodied, expressive wines.”
Mark enjoys hiking, mountain biking and skiing. He is an avid wine collector and loves to travel and explore new wine regions.
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Mark Williams
Winemaker
William Hill Estate Winery